Roster management 'is fluid' as Ohio State coach Jake Diebler navigates first offseason
If Jake Diebler had his choice, the Ohio State coach would start the work of preparing for 2024-25 as soon as tomorrow.
The problem is that, aside from the Buckeyes staring at a seven-month wait before playing their first game in his first full season as coach, Diebler doesn’t yet have much of an idea what his team will look like. In the era of the transfer portal, Ohio State is like every other team in early April: re-recruiting its own roster and searching for acquisitions via the portal.
In his first public comments since a season-ending loss to Georgia in the NIT quarterfinals on March 26, Diebler told the “Rothman & Ice” radio show on WBNS-FM (97.1) on Wednesday afternoon that the process of finalizing the roster is an ongoing one.
“The first thing we’ve got to understand is that roster management is fluid,” he said. “It’s going to be that way for a little bit of time. The beautiful thing about this program is it’s going to attract really good players who ultimately, for us, wanting Ohio State to win is going to be a big priority.”
Ohio State has received public commitments to return from Bruce Thornton, Felix Okpara and Devin Royal. The Buckeyes added a commitment from South Carolina transfer Meechie Johnson Jr. and have two incoming freshmen signed in John “Juni” Mobley and Colin White.
That leaves seven roster spots unspoken for. About three hours after Diebler's appearance, Roddy Gayle Jr. joined Bowen Hardman and Scotty Middleton in the transfer portal. Gayle was the team's third-leading scorer from last season and a guard with two years of eligibility remaining.
Diebler was asked specifically about his confidence in Gayle wanting to return to Ohio State.
“I’m not going to get into the specifics with some of these guys,” he said. “Some of this is there’s ongoing conversations and there’s been ongoing conversations. This is a great program and guys want to be here. It’s got to make sense for everybody. We’ve just got to continue to adjust and move and build. That’s going to be ever-changing here for at least the next couple of weeks.”
Whatever shape the roster ultimately takes, Diebler said he envisions a team that can play with an urgency and aggressiveness that “fits my personality.” Pace of play will be important, and that will be reflected in the pieces that come together to make the 2024-25 roster. Ohio State is one of four schools under heavy consideration by Princeton graduate transfer and Hilliard Bradley product Matt Allocco.
Asked if he’d like to add another guard to the equation, Diebler said, “That’s what we’re constantly evaluating. There’s a fluidity to all of this. We’ve got to be constantly monitoring that. It’s about the pieces that we know who are here and who want to chase a championship with us. We want to start there, and then you go and build around with that.”
That includes filling out a coaching staff, too. Since being promoted from interim to head coach, Diebler has lost former assistants Jack Owens and Brandon Bailey to DePaul, where they will again work for former Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann. Bailey finished out the season with the Buckeyes while Owens left before they began NIT play.
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One coach has been hired for next season: Dave Dickerson, who has experience as an Ohio State assistant and associate head coach as well as head coach at Tulane and most recently USC Upstate.
“When I’m looking to finishing the staff, and hopefully we’re getting closer to doing that, a lot of that is based on we need guys who are in here committed to serving this program and our players with all the energy and positivity and love and care that’s required,” Diebler said. “Development for guys on and off the court is really, really important for me. This program has always been about that, and we have to keep that. Certainly, we need guys with great basketball minds, experience, recruiting experience.
“Dave Dickerson, he fits all that. For me, you’ve got a guy who’s won a national championship (as an assistant at Maryland), who’s been to a Final Four at Ohio State. That stuff was really, really important, his wisdom and knowledge in all the different areas that go into being a college basketball coach was something I felt was critical for our staff.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State basketball: Jake Diebler talks building 2024, 2025 roster
